A lot has happened across the globe and within the Quench community since I last published a What’s Next for Quench blog just over a year ago. At that time, none of us could have imagined all that was going to happen in 2020. It has certainly been a challenging time, and I hope that you, your loved ones, and your businesses remain safe and healthy.
As for Quench, I am delighted to say that despite the economic hardships brought on by the pandemic, we achieved a lot in 2020, and did so without a single layoff. Our team stuck together and did an amazing job by focusing on taking care of our customers and each other. We added some key leaders and made major investments for growth, including systems upgrades and a number of acquisitions to increase our density in key markets and expand our footprint into others.
Throughout the year, to ensure we were staying in lockstep with our customer base, we conducted regular outreach and actively listened to customer concerns. We sought feedback through Net Promoter Score and Customer Satisfaction surveys and conducted studies to inform strategies concerning your safety and the success of your business.
As we approach the one-year mark since we first went into lockdown, I want to offer details of those strategies.
Reliable Customer Experience
We are doing whatever we can to ensure our customers continue to see us as valuable and trustworthy partners for their drinking water solutions, including working with customers on billing flexibility and protecting those that are ‘open for business’ by equipping our technicians with PPE and updating our installation guidelines. We are proud to serve an increasing number of school systems, healthcare providers, manufacturing and distribution hubs, and a plethora of essential businesses as they turn to us to provide safe, great-tasting water for their workforces, patients, and students.
Quick Touchless Turnaround
You may have also noticed an increase in touchless options in our product line, which was the result of our rapid ability to pivot to meet changing customer expectations. Although studies show the risk of getting infected with COVID-19 from touching a surface is low, market trends show a rise in touchless demand. Touchless amenities are generally more compatible with new building safety standards as well. A customer survey we conducted recently showed touchless was a top three priority for businesses purchasing hydration solutions (right behind filtration and hot water features).
Taking our customer insights into consideration, our product team went to work to develop touchless, bottlefree water coolers that do it all—top of the line filtration, quenchWATER+ mineral add-back, LED UV sanitization, hot water, cold water, ice, and room temperature water all without a touch or tap on the dispenser. Our product roadmap for 2021 includes several new, innovative solutions, with more on the horizon. We recently launched the large-capacity Quench Q8 bottlefree water cooler with Position Sensitive Detector (PSD) dispensing, giving users the ability to dispense either hot or cold quenchWATER+ without a single touch.
Looking Towards the Future
In addition to my role as CEO for Quench, I also serve as the Deputy Chair of the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. A recent study shared by our economists shows that time at work is more than about wages—it’s about valuable collaboration time with coworkers. ‘Going to work’ in a physical workspace has its benefits. Physical workspaces and the interactions within them give employees and customers purpose and energy, health and wellbeing, empowerment, and comradery.
We are confident that as vaccine delivery accelerates, offices, hotels, gyms and salons, restaurants, and public areas in general will once again bustle with activity. When that happens, people will still need a safe, convenient way to hydrate. And our commitment to you is that Quench is ready to guarantee your business’s access to clean, great-tasting filtered drinking water, now and for years to come.
Tony Ibarguen
CEO of Quench
